Pope Francis bows before Muslim queen

Breaking protocol and expressing his unique humility, Pope Francis today bowed before Queen Rania [1]of Jordon, who was visiting the Vatican with her husband, King Abdullah II.

It will not go unnoticed that Queen Rania is a Muslim. In his five months as pontiff, Francis has washed the feet of at least one Muslim woman and has now bowed before a Muslim queen. Francis made no discernable bow toward her husband, the king.

His acts of humility offer the world a unique kind of inter-faith dialogue. A Vatican official later was reported to have said, "Pope Francis is not interested in protocol."